Category: Healthy Living

How healthy are you? Do you have a healthy diet? Do you exercise regularly? Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day? Do you get enough sleep every day? Do you live a healthy lifestyle?

Our body is our temple, and we need to take care of it. Do you know that over 70% of Americans are either obese or overweight?[1] That’s insane! Think of your body as your physical shell to take you through life. If you repeatedly abuse it with unhealthy habits, your shell will wear out quickly.

Life is beautiful and you don’t want to bog yourself down with unnecessary health problems. Today, your vital organs (kidney, heart, lungs, gall bladder, liver, stomach, intestines, etc.) may be working well, but they may not be tomorrow. Don’t take your good health for granted. Take proper care of your body.

Good health isn’t just about healthy eating and exercise — it’s also about having a positive mental health, a positive self-image, and a healthy lifestyle. In this article, I share 45 tips to live a healthier life. Bookmark this post and save the tips, because they are going to be vital in living a healthier life. 🙂

Drink more water. Most of us don’t drink enough water every day. Water is essential for our bodies to function — do you know over 60% of our body is made up of water? Water is needed to carry out body functions, remove waste, and carry nutrients and oxygen around our body. Since we lose water every day through urine, bowel movements, perspiration and breathing, we need to replenish our water intake.Furthermore, drinking more water aids in losing weight. A Health study carried out among overweight or obese people showed that water drinkers lose 4.5 more pounds than a control group. The researchers believe that it’s because drinking more water helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat.

The amount of water you need depends on your age, weight, humidity level, and your physical activity. There used to be a recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water, but in 2004 this recommendation was removed and healthy adults are recommended to use thirst to determine their fluid needs.[2] Bear in mind that food intake contributes to our fluid intake too — fruits, soups, juices have high water content. How to tell if you need water: if you have dry lips, dry mouth, or little urination, you’re probably not hydrated enough. Go get some water first before you continue this article!

Get enough sleep. When you don’t rest well, you compensate by eating more. Usually, it’s junk food. Get enough rest and you don’t need to snack to stay awake. Also, lack of sleep causes premature aging, and you don’t want that.

Exercise. Movement is life. Research has shown that exercising daily brings tremendous benefits to our health, including an increase in life span, lowering of risk of diseases, higher bone density, and weight loss. Increase activity in your life. Choose walking over transport for close distances. Climb the stairs instead of taking the lift. Join an aerobics class. Take up a sport of your liking (see tip #5).

Pick exercises you enjoy. When you enjoy a sport, you naturally want to do it. Exercise isn’t about suffering and pushing yourself; it’s about being healthy and having fun at the same time. Adding variation in your exercises will keep them interesting.

Work out different parts of your body. Don’t just do cardio (like jogging). Give your body a proper workout. The easiest way is to engage in sports since they work out different muscle groups. Popular sports include basketball, football, swimming, tennis, squash, badminton, Frisbee, and more.

Eat fruits. Fruits have a plethora of vitamins and minerals. Do you know that oranges offer more health benefits than Vitamin C pills? Satisfy your palate with these nutritious fruits: Watermelon, Apricots, Avocado (yes, avocado is a fruit!), Apple, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Guava, Papaya, Strawberries. If you intent to consume a large quantity of fruits at one go, consume fruit with some fats — such as a dressing, almond butter, olive oil, avocado — to reduce the glycemic load.

Eat vegetables. Like fruits, vegetables are important for good health, with many important vitamins and minerals. Onion, leek, and garlic are prebiotics — essential food for good gut bacteria. Spinach, kale, swiss chard, and turnip greens are dark leafy greens with high mineral content. Beyond just eating vegetables, be sure to consume a variety of different vegetables for diversity in good gut bacteria. What are your favorite vegetables and how can you include more of them in your diet today?

Avoid excess fiber intake. Contrary to what the food and medical industry promotes, excess fiber intake is detrimental for constipation and smooth digestion. The more fiber you take, the bulkier your stools, the slower your colonic transit time, and the more difficult it is to pass motion (which leads to constipation, piles, anal fissure). Too much fiber also contributes to excess gas and abdominal bloating.Why do so many doctors, cereal boxes, supermarket aisles, studies, etc. recommend a high fiber intake then? According to the Harvard School of Public Health, this recommendation originated from a large macro-study that suggested that high fiber intake may lower risk of colon cancer. This study did not account for factors like lifestyle and diet, and it led to an industry-wide recommendation to eat more and fiber, without consideration of their current diet and gut status. Many high-fiber foods also contain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, that are helpful for the body. People who consume a high-fiber diet are likely to eat less red meat, drink less alcohol, smoke less, and get regular exercise – all healthy behaviors that can reduce cancer risk.[3]

Should we cut out fruits/vegetables then? No. Firstly, fruits and vegetables contain fermentable fiber, which is essential for the good gut bacteria. Secondly, much of fruit/vegetable content is water. For example, watermelon contains only 0.4% fiber, while lettuce contains 1.3% fiber. Unless you consume big bowls of salads every day for every meal, it’s difficult to over-consume fiber from fruits/vegetables alone. Moderate intake of fiber from whole plant foods is beneficial for good gut bacteria.

The fiber sources to watch out are cereal grains. Multi-grain bread has 12% fiber and multi-grain cereals can have 22% or more fiber. High-fiber, whole wheat, and whole grains are the “in” thing today; some cereals have over 30% fiber!

My personal recommendation: (1) Cut down on whole grains/wheat; (2) Eat fruits/veg as per normal; (3) Eat other things in moderation. A typical diet with fish/chicken (zero fiber), dairy (zero fiber), low fiber fruits/vegetables, and some potatoes/rice is already low fiber. On the other hand, when you stuff yourself with fiber, you may notice bloating, bulkier stools, and even piles / anal fissures. (real people who ate a high fiber diet based on doctor recommendations and suffered from constipation, bleeding, etc.)

Get your macro-nutrients. Macro-nutrients are nutrients needed in bulk amounts to ensure normal growth, metabolism, and well-being of our bodies. The 3 macro-nutrients needed by humans are carbohydrates (sugar), proteins (amino acids), and fats (lipids). There are many funky diets today from high/low carb to high/low protein to high/low fat. While you are free to eat whatever you want, we need carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (known as macro-nutrients) for a healthy body. Carbs give us immediate energy. Proteins help repair tissues, heal wounds, and create enzymes and hormones. Fat is needed to build cell membranes; for blood clotting, muscle movement, and inflammation; and to absorb certain vitamins and minerals.Be careful of fad diets. Eat a diet with a well-rounded distribution of macro-nutrients (40% carbs, 30% proteins, 30% fats, vs. being skewed to one particular group). In a study of pre-diabetics, those on a “high protein” diet (defined as 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat) resulted in 100% remission of pre-diabetes to normal glucose tolerance, while those on a high carb diet (defined as 55% carb, 15% protein, 30% fat) resulted in only 33% remission.[4]

Get your micro-nutrients. While macro-nutrients provide our bodies with the bulk energy to function, we need micro-nutrients, i.e., vitamins and minerals, to orchestrate a range of physiological functions.[5] Deficiency in any vitamin or mineral will cause dire effects on our body. Make sure to eat a range of different food to meet your micro-nutrient needs. Eating different food also ensures you have a diverse set of gut flora, which is important for optimal health. Here is a list of micro-nutrients needed by our body.

Cut down on processed food. Processed food is not good because (a) most nutritional value is lost in the creation of these foods and (b) the added preservatives are bad for our health. Many processed foods contain a high amount of salt, which leads to higher blood pressure and heart disease. In general, the more ingredients a food has on the label (ending with ‘ite’ or ‘ate’), the more processed it is. Eating 50 grams of processed meat a day has also been found to increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.[6] Go for less processed food, such as a baked potato over chips, a fresh fruit over canned fruit, steamed fish over canned fish, or organic produce over food with high preservatives.

Choose white meat. Cut out red meat. Red meat has been repeatedly established to increase colon cancer risk.[7][8] Cut out red meat (or at the very least, limit your consumption). Substitute red meat with white meat such as chicken and fish. Increase your fish intake which seems protective against cancer. Fish also has healthy fats, a large source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin D.

Go for healthy fats. As mentioned in #11, fat is a macro-nutrient and is essential to a healthy body. Fat is not the enemy — trans and saturated fats are. And trans/saturated fats are in many products today. We need healthy fats which are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat.

Take polyunsaturated fats (Good fats): Polyunsaturated fats are essential fats. They are required for normal body functions but your body can’t make them, so you must get them from food. These fats lower LDL and triglycerides and boost cholesterol profile. Common sources: Salmon, mackerel, and sardines, flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil, unhydrogenated soybean oil.

Love yourself. How much do you love yourself on a scale of 1-10? Why? How can you love yourself more starting today?

Go barefoot walking/running. There are many benefits of barefoot walking/running, from better posture, less stress for your feet, less stress for your joints, etc. If the terrain in your neighborhood is too sharp, wear barefoot shoes. I’ve been running barefoot since May 2010 and loving it.

Purge negativity from your life.

Purge negative people. Positive mental health is part of a healthy life. You don’t need toxic people in your life. If you feel that a friend is overly critical or negative, let him/her go. If you’re dealing with backstabbers, let them go too.

Avoid trigger foods. Trigger foods make you go berserk and binge after you eat them. Everyone’s trigger foods are different (mine used to be doughnuts, pastries, and chips), but generally trigger foods are candy bars, chocolate, confectionery, chips, cookies, or anything with a high level of refined sugar, salt, or flour. These foods cause a blood sugar imbalance, hence triggering one to eat more. What are your trigger foods? Identify them and remove them from your diet.

Breathe. Deeply. Oxygen is vital for life. You may know how to breathe, but are you breathing properly? Most of us don’t breathe properly — we take shallow breaths and breathe to 1/3 of our lung capacity. Athletes are coached proper breathing techniques to get their best performance. A full breath is one where your lungs are completely filled, your abdomen expands, and there’s minimum movement in your shoulders.

A nip is in the air, as summer eases into the fall season. Football season starts, and so does school. The holidays are right around the corner. So is the flu season. To help keep you healthy over the next few months, we’ve got these tips:

1. Take a Tailgate Time-out

Don’t despair: Your tailgate spread doesn’t have to sideline your weight loss plan. Grilled kabobs are great fare on the field. Just skewer veggies, fruits, and lean meat, and soak in your favorite marinade. Seafood, salsas, wraps, and stews are good eating, too. A Crock-Pot of chili — loaded with high-fiber, high-protein beans — is a classic tailgate dish (don’t forget the Beano).

Just remember, alcohol is packed with calories. Enjoy your favorite brew, but switch it out for zero-calorie beverages as the party rolls along. It’s all in how you play the game!

2. Sleep Tips to Help Kids’ Weight

Does your child get enough sleep? If not, it could affect more than sleepiness at school. Studies suggest there may be a link between skimping on sleep and being overweight. Sleep shortfalls may increase hunger hormones — so kids eat more. Also, kids are less likely to get exercise (and burn off calories) when they’re tired.

To help kids and teens get a good night’s sleep:

Remove TVs, computers, and gadgets from kids’ bedrooms.

Avoid large meals before bedtime.

Develop a regular bedtime routine.

Set firm bedtimes and wake times.

Make sure the bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing — and not too hot or cold.

Help kids quiet down a few hours before bedtime.

Heavy studying, text messaging, or video games should end in early evening.

How much sleep do schoolkids need? It depends on the child. But here are some general guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation:

Ages 3-5: 11-13 hours

Ages 5-12: 10-11 hours

Ages 11-17: 9.5-9.25 hours

3. Quit Smoking: You Won’t Gain Weight

If you’ve finally decided to kick the habit, there’s good news: Quitting smoking won’t make you gain weight over the long term. Some people pick up 4 or 5 pounds early on, but that’s only temporary.

To quit successfully, experts agree, get help and support from your doctor, family, friends, and co-workers. A doctor or mental health professional can help you tailor an approach that best suits you. There are many FDA-approved medications to help people quit smoking.

Another tip: Some foods and drinks make cigarettes taste better; some make them taste worse. Try eating more vegetables and less meat — and swap that coffee (or alcohol) for a glass of milk. Let your taste buds stifle those cravings!

4. Flu Vaccine? Who? You.

As temperatures get chillier and people spend more time indoors, flu season sneaks in. Because the flu virus can infect the lungs, it can cause a serious complication like pneumonia — which can require hospitalization, even lead to death. That’s why certain people must get a flu shot.

October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but you can still get vaccinated in December or later. Flu season can start as early as October and last as late as May.

If you live with or care for a child under 2 years old, you are in a priority group for flu shots.

There are two types of flu vaccines: flu shots and nasal sprays. The flu shot vaccine is recommended for:

Children aged 6 months to 19 years.

Pregnant women.

People age 50 and older.

People of any age with chronic medical conditions such as asthma.

People living in nursing homes or other long-term facilities.

Others who could get Flu Mist nasal spray include healthy people 2-49 years old who are not pregnant.

Cover nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough. Throw it away afterward.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water — especially important after you cough or sneeze on them. Use an alcohol-based hand cleaner if necessary.

Keep you and your baby away from people who are coughing or sneezing.

Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth — since that’s how germs are spread

In 2009, the H1N1 swine flu, a new flu virus, emerged. This virus spreads from person to person like seasonal flu, mainly through coughing or sneezing or sometimes by touching something that became infected with the virus. A vaccine for swine flu is in production.

5. Holiday Game Plan: No Weight Gain

The challenges of holiday feasting are only too obvious — wonderful smells and fabulous tastes. We do love our comfort food! But the traditional holiday weight gain is another matter. If it’s a real problem for you, here’s good news. With a few simple changes, you can enjoy the feast without gaining the extra 1 to 3 pounds that tend to become permanent baggage.

Here’s your plan:

Don’t arrive starving. Eat something small and healthy, like oatmeal or a whole-grain sandwich, before the big meal. That will keep you full until dinner.

Exercise every day. This means big holidays, too. Get the family out with you. Start a new holiday tradition that involves activity.

Establish ground rules with yourself. Eat dessert, but only a sliver, for example.

Keep track. Write down everything you eat. If you put it in writing, you’re less tempted to overeat.

If you know you’ll have trouble resisting those favorite foods, plan for it. Cut back on eating early in the week. Get more exercise before and after the holidays. You can do this!

6. Sweet Potatoes: Winter Superfood

It’s one of the sweetest ways to make a healthful change — get hot about sweet potatoes. These luscious orange tubers boast a wealth of antioxidants; phytochemicals including beta-carotene; vitamins C and E; folate; calcium; copper; iron; and potassium. The fiber in sweet potatoes promotes a healthy digestive tract, and the antioxidants may play a role in preventing heart disease and cancer.

The natural sweetness of a roasted sweet potato is delicious without any additional fats or flavor enhancers.

7. Exercise Your Brain: Go Dancing

You know your heart benefits from exercise. Your brain does, too. Studies show that regular, moderate exercise — 30 minutes of walking or a light one-mile run — helps fight the effects of aging on the brain. No grueling workouts required!

All types of exercise count, including walking, bicycling, hiking, swimming, aerobics, and weight training. Ballroom dancing is another good one, especially fun on chilly evenings.

How does exercise work to prevent mental decline? Researchers believe exercise may stimulate the body to fight stress that’s normally occurring in the brain — stress that causes oxidative damage. All that good stuff from a little exercise!

8. Curl Up With Hot Coffee

That wonderfully warming cup of morning coffee may have health benefits. The caffeine in coffee stimulates the brain and nervous system, and may lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, mood problems, headaches, and even cavities.

Scientists have discovered coffee’s many beneficial substances, including chlorogenic acid, a compound in the antioxidant family that may improve glucose (sugar) metabolism. Another perk is that coffee contains magnesium, a mineral that can also improve insulin sensitivity and enhance glucose tolerance — thumbs up for preventing diabetes.

Another plus is that coffee is naturally calorie-free. Just don’t load it up with extra calories from cream, sugar, whipped cream, and/or flavored syrup.

Getting a good breakfast meal in each day is a must if you are looking to achieve excellent health standing. You may think you do not have time for breakfast, but if you want to feel energized, have an easier time with fat loss, and put forth the best performance at work or school, you should make time. What you eat for this morning meal will make a difference.

Not quite sure what to serve? Let us look at a few of the smart breakfast swaps to put into place to take your nutrition up a notch…

1. Swap A Cereal Bar For Toast With Peanut Butter. A cereal bar may be a great grab-and-go option, but it severely lacks in protein as well as healthy fats. These are sugar bombs that are going to lead to an energy spike followed quickly by an energy crash.

The result? You crave more food and end up having a mid-morning snack.

The better solution? Try a slice of toast with some peanut butter. The peanut butter will provide the healthy fats and a bit of protein while the bread if you choose the right variety, will offer healthier carbs.

2. Swap Cold Cereal With Oatmeal And Berries. Cold cereal may be fast and easy, but it is often loaded with sugar. Not to mention, usually it is made with refined carbohydrates.

Instead, try a bowl of hearty oatmeal. It will fill you up and is sugar-free. Add flavor by stirring in some fresh berries or a little sugar-free maple syrup instead.

3. Swap Fruit Flavored Yogurt For Greek Yogurt With Berries. You may love digging into a container of fruit-flavored yogurt for your breakfast meal, but it too contains too much sugar. Many people think yogurt is the healthy choice, but often it is anything but healthy.

Instead, try some Greek yogurt with fresh berries. Greek yogurt contains far more protein and will help you stay well fueled until lunch. In addition to this, you will also take in fiber when you add fresh berries.

4. Swap Fruit Juice For Fresh Fruit. Last but not least, try swapping out your fruit juice with some real fruit instead. Fruit juice is just never really a good option on any diet plan as it is loaded with sugar and very high in calories.

Fresh fruit is rich in fiber and will fill you up quickly with only 50 to 100 calories per serving. It is a much smarter choice.

Keep these swaps in mind and start applying them to your breakfast meal. Make the right choices at this time of the day, and you will notice a big difference in how you feel and function.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

The medical practitioners, a psychiatrist and a psychologist, are often confused as having the similar meaning, however, both medical professionals study and diagnose the conditions relating to the emotions, brain, feelings, and thoughts and thus, there is a thin line difference between the practices of both the practitioners. The major dissimilarity among both the fields is the educational degrees, specific training period, medical practice, and the salary. Also, the nature of treatment recommended by both the professionals is different from one another. The psychiatrist , or say, the medical practitioners prescribe medications to treat emotional or negative feelings by spending much of their time with the patient as a course of treatment. Whereas, the psychologists comprehensively emphasize on psychotherapies for diagnosing emotional and mental conditions in a patient with behavioral intervention. Some psychologists are also trained in conducting various psychological testing to assess the patient’s mental state and recommend the most effective course of treatment.

The patients of emotional and mental disorders visit the psychiatrist in Bhopal majorly due to the conditions such as frightening hallucinations, panic attacks, hearing unusual voices, or consistent thoughts of suicide. Or they can be in a state of emotional disorder because of the long-term conditions such as experiencing the feeling of hopelessness, sadness, or anxiousness, causing everyday life to feel distorted. Before undertaking the patient for the further treatment, the psychiatrist first performs a complete medical laboratory and psychological tests that will give the doctor an idea about the patient’s current physical, emotional, and mental state. The doctors then develop a treatment plan after understanding the complex relationship between the emotional and other physical or mental illness, and the relation with the family history and hormonal changes.

Most of the psychiatrist recommends the medication in much the same way that is used to diagnose conditions relating to diabetes or high blood pressure. After conducting various tests, the doctors might prescribe medications that will be helpful to overcome the mental or emotional disorders. The medications prescribed by the psychiatrist helps in balancing the chemistry of the brain that is involved and responsible for various mental disorders. Patients those are on long-term medication are asked to visit the clinic periodically to monitor the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment and to assure that the medication is not having any potential side-effects on the patient’s health.

re you dealing with nausea? Whether you are overcoming illness, not feeling well, or have been traveling by air or water and are dealing with motion sickness, nausea is no fun to deal with. Rather than turning to medical treatments, however, which may come with unwanted side effects, why not try some of the natural means of overcoming this issue?

Let us take a look at a few of the best ways to naturally combat nausea you need to know about…

1. Try Ginger. Ginger is one of the most tried and true methods to help yourself rid nausea and one you should be considering. Whether you choose to opt for sugar-free diet ginger ale, you add a little ginger into the meal you are cooking, or you decide to chew on dried ginger pieces, this can help curb in a hurry, those feelings of nausea.

Ginger is also calorie free unless it is preserved with sugar, so something you won’t have to worry about impacting your body weight.

2. Eat Smaller Meals. Another thing you can do is focus on eating smaller meals. For some people, nausea tends to come on more often after eating huge meals, so breaking those meals down into smaller, more manageable ones, can be a smart decision.

Try keeping your meals at a maximum of 250 to 350 calories and see if the smaller amount of food helps to reduce your nausea. As an added benefit, you might just find this helps out with weight loss as well. Frequent eating encourages the body to burn fat instead of muscle tissue.

3. Pop Some Peppermint Gum. Peppermint may also have some great anti-nausea benefits, so that is another consideration you will want to note. Popping a stick of peppermint gum after you eat your meals may help you ward off nausea, while also freshening your breath.

It is another calorie-free option you will want to try.

4. Have A Glass Of Lemon Water. Another great way to combat nausea is to drink a glass of lemon water. Fresh lemon tends to suppress nausea naturally, and anything sour will also do the trick quite nicely as well.

Sometimes those who suffer from nausea are not tending to their hydration needs well enough, so this may help you offset the dehydration as well.

There you have a few of the best tips to help you manage your nausea. Which of these have you tried?

Managing your health can be challenging, You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight, your blood sugar levels and if you experience nausea, prevent it naturally.

The information presented in this guide may be suitable to supplement your doctor-prescribed daily routines. Please consult your doctor/physician first to get their advice if this guide is suitable for you to follow.

HERE ARE SOME HEALTHY TIPS FOR YOUR DAILY LIFE

PREFACE:

The helpful tips in this guide could serve you well if you are able to practice it on a regular basis.So take some time to understand each of them first to determine if they are suitable for you. When it comes to health, we should all take it seriously. And being healthy is and always has been about a lifestyle change. Like everything else, Health is something that we all have to strive and work for it. “There is no free lunch” comes to mind and is even more so when it comes to achieving our health golds. And trust me… there are also no short-cuts. So stay positive, and remember that your health and happiness will bring joy to people who are around you and who care for your well-being.

Thank you for your time in reading through this PREFACE.

Have a great day ahead!

From,

HEALTHY AND FIT

TIPS FOR PERSONAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE:

TIP #1) DRINK LESS ALCOHOL

We should not drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day for men. For women, this should be no more than 2-3 units. One alcohol unit roughly means 10ml of pure alcohol in an alcohol beverage. As a general guideline, for Ciders and Beer, no more than 2-3units. For Wine, no more than 2 units. For Spirits, no more than 1 unit, and for wine coolers, no more than 1.5 units. (Note that these are general guidelines)

TIP #2) KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN

How to wash hand with liquid soap properly.

Abstracted from Victoria state government Australia.

A lot of diseases are spread from contaminated hands. Clean hand save lives.

TIP #3) QUIT SMOKING

Pick up the courage to take the first step. Quit smoking today!

Wish to quit smoking but having difficulty doing so? Here are some tips for you to consider trying;

1) Identify and avoid situation which will trigger you to smoke. Have a plan to avoid or get through without smoking. E.g., avoid using the stairways if you always smoke there.

2) Delay your craving for tobacco by telling yourself to wait further few minutes first, do something to distract yourself for that period of time.

Have you done your annual medical check up yet? Early detection can save your live.

TIP #6) EXERCISE REGULARLY!

Exercise helps to boost your immune system, control your weight. It improves your mood, increase your energy. It reduces stress, makes you feel more confident and positive. It sharpens your mind, enables you to sleep better. If you prefer exercising at the gym, make sure you clock in some time doing aerobic exercises for at least 20-30 minutes a day (minimum 3 times a week is recommended).

TIP #7) TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT GETTING A FLU

When the Holiday season arrives, and so does flu. Here is some tips to prevent flu beside drinking lots of fluid everyday You can also take food like mushroom, sweet potatoes, garlic, wild salmon, dark chocolate, almond, strawberries to boost your immune system against flu viruses.

TIP #8) HOW TO HANDLE YOUR INSOMNIA

Good sleep quality ensures better health, mood and performance. Here are some ways to help falling asleep easier;

Exercise during the day. Avoid caffeine and alcohol at night.

Have a light dinner 2-4 hours before bed. Switch off TV and computer in your bedroom. Keep your room temperature cool (around 21 degree Celsius), have a warm bath prior as well. Using lavender essence in bath oils and soaps can be helpful towards getting a good nights rest. After the bath, try to dim your bedroom lights (or turn off all your lights if you prefer) before you go to bed. For certain people, playing some soft soothing music may help while other folks will prefer a quiet sleeping.environment.

Drinking a good quality(authentic) chamomile tea can also help you sleep better. Avoid sugary and caffeinated drinks before bedtime – example coffee and certain types of caffeinated tea.

TIP #9) THE HOLIDAY SEASON BINGE

There will tend to be feasts after feasts. Here are some tips how to enjoy your feast gathering without overeating:

Do not skip meals/fast before the feast. Take only healthy snacks like raw vegetables, nuts, and fruits if you are a little hungry.

Eat food less in salt, oil, refined sugar, processed.

Start your meal by taking food low in calories then to higher later. e.g; start with soup, salad, lean protein, you will be quite full by dessert when you can feel satisfied just with a few bites (3).

Take one serving only, decline second helpings politely but firmly.

Avoid alcohol, try sparkling water instead. Cut down on smoking

Remember to continue your exercise regime during this festive season as well.

Lastly, try to enjoy the social gathering and not focus on the food instead. This season is about getting together, sharing joy and happiness after all.

A healthy breakfast helps you to focus and concentrate better, enabling you to think and solve problems easier.

A healthy breakfast also helps in reducing cravings and making unhealthy food choices. It helps in controlling your weight.

TIP #12) HOW TO AVOID GETTING BODY ODORS

Keep your body clean at all times is a basic social etiquette that everyone should follow – if you have been outdoors and have perspired, do dry yourself and if possible, take a shower. Sweat contains body salts and oils and this can cause body odors to develop. Bacteria on the skin surface can also cause body odors to occur. Armpits and other areas of the body are perfect places where bacteria love to multiply and moisture helps them do so. So try to keep your those areas dry and this will reduce your chanced of developing bad body odors.

If you are someone who is interested in maximizing your health, one thing you might be considering is your intake of probiotics. These healthy bacteria live in the stomach and help keep your immune system strong, promote optimal digestion, and keep your entire body working in proper order.

While everyone needs to be consuming a healthy dose of probiotics on a regular basis, there are particular times when you need to increase your dose.

Let’s take a closer look at the main times when serving yourself a little extra dose of probiotics is a wise move…

1. When You Are Ill. Because probiotics play a vital role in keeping your immune system in top shape, it is important you focus on consuming these probiotics when you are struggling with your health.

If you are currently ill, an extra dose can give you the power your body needs to fend off whatever it is fighting: helping you get back to optimal health. When you have a common cold or the flu, as well as when you are struggling with a health issue, an additional dose could be helpful.

2. After You Have Completed The Prescribed Antibiotics. While you are sick and need antibiotics, they can be useful. What they won’t be good for is your gut health. Antibiotics will kill any harmful bacteria currently residing in your system. However, they will also take out all the “good” bacteria.

Serving yourself an extra dose of probiotics during this time can help bring your gut environment back to optimal, ensuring your immune system stays strong.

3. Before And During Travel. The next time it is a smart move to add a few extra probiotics to your daily menu is before and during travel. Before travel, the goal is to make your immune system as healthy as possible, which will help fend off any viruses present in the area you are going.

During the traveling period, taking the probiotics will help keep your system as healthy as possible, and help you avoid any digestive woes that may occur due to eating foods, not your typical dining choices. If you are all about trying local cuisine when you travel, your taste buds may enjoy this, but your stomach may feel otherwise. Using a probiotic may help prevent unwanted issues from occurring.

4. Throughout Pregnancy. Finally, the last time to make sure a probiotic is present in your life is throughout pregnancy. Keeping your body extra healthy at this point is important, and a good quality probiotic may help to reduce your risk of suffering from birth-related complications such as Gestational diabetes.

As you can see, a probiotic is not something you want to slough off and take lightly. It is a must-have in any diet plan aiming to keep you as healthy as possible.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

Cookware is for cooking, right? And as long as your food gets cooked, what does it matter whether you’ve used an iron pan or a scratched Teflon pan?

It might matter much more than you’ve believed. A growing body of research evidence appears to point to a strong link between aluminium accumulation in the body and Alzheimer’s disease – a disabling loss of mental ability that is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and the 5th leading cause of death among those age 65 and older and also cause of disability and poor health. As per statistics in 2017, more than 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s, an approximately 5.3 million are age 65 and older and estimated 200,000 peoples are below age 65 and have younger-onset Alzheimer’s. Almost 2/3 of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.

Is this cause for worry?

We believe it’s time to start taking precautions:

Rita Hayworth, not so long ago, made Alzheimer’s a household word. A disease that usually occurs at 50 and over, Alzheimer’s is characterized by severe forgetfulness initially, leading to a gradual waning of the ability for abstract thinking (including the ability to perform simple calculations, exercise judgement and solve everyday problems.) The person finally becomes severely disoriented to time, person and place. Post-mortems show the brain to be highly shrunken, the brain chambers to be abnormally dilated and a marked reduction in the number of brain cells.

To date, there is no sure care for Alzheimer’s. Nor do scientists agree on what causes it, though there are several theories, and research is going on apace to identify the culprits.

It was way back in the mid-1970s that researchers first noted higher-than-normal levels of aluminium in the brains of Alzheimer’s victims. The question raised by this discovery was whether this excess aluminium caused the Alzheimer’s or the aluminium accumulation was a result of the disease process.

It’s a big question. Aluminium, it turns out, is a major player in our lives. It’s the third most common element on earth.

Aluminium, like other materials is present in all our bodies, though there’s no evidence that it’s an essential mineral. We all consume aluminium every day. A small amount of that consumption is due to aluminium that occurs naturally in some foods. But most of our aluminium intake occurs because someone, somewhere, added that aluminium to our food, drink, water, medicine or cosmetics.

And in our kitchens, aluminium pots and pans are widely used in cooking: being cheaper, lighter and easily available, they are preferred by a majority of the population.

But the aluminium in your cookware doesn’t stay there. Aluminium is highly prone to pitting corrosion, a localized form of corrosion that occurs due to small impurities in the metal. Says Dr. K.R. Satyanarayan, Head of the department of metallurgy, College of Engineering, Pune, India, “Even anodized aluminium vessels, i.e. those coated with a protective oxide that increases corrosion resistance, are not completely safe: the protective layer wears off with time, and there is no obvious indication to a lay person that this has happened.”

The risk of corrosion increases when food is cooked in aluminium vessels over a long time, and over high temperature. The greatest amount of leaching (of aluminium into the food) occurs when acidic food is cooked in aluminium vessels or stored in them. Try the acid test at home and you’ll believe!

“Try this at home: Want to see some dramatic evidence of the effect of acid foods on aluminium? Line a container with aluminium foil, place some leftover tomato sauce in it, cover with foil so it touches the food, and leave it in the refrigerator for a week or two. When you take it out, you will probably find holes in the foil where the aluminium has been dissolved by the salt and acid in the food.”

Nor is Teflon-coated (non-stick) cookware an automatically safer option. The coating is a layer of PTFE (polytetrafluorethylene), a polymeric material that is highly corrosion-resistant. But when the coating wears off, the underlying aluminium layer is exposed, and the pan becomes prone to all the effects of aluminium leaching.

What exactly are these effects? The Scientists have reported laboratory studies that have shown that aluminium binds to the body’s chemical energy, ATP (adenosine tri phosphate) and could thus interfere with the body’s energy storage system.

How Aluminium works? Dr. Theodore Kruck, Ph.D., member of a leading team of aluminium-investigating scientists at the University of Toronto, offers his explanation of how aluminium damages nerve cells in the brain, based on research he and his colleagues have conducted:

“All living cells must perform ‘house-keeping’ to maintain their normal functions. To do this, they read ‘recipes,’ which are stored in the DNA molecules of their chromosomes. When we extracted the active chromatin (the chemical that contains the DNA molecules in our cells) from the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients, we found aluminium levels in the chromatin that were nine times the normal levels. We believe that this aluminium reacts with the chromatin and makes it ‘sticky,’ and this prevents the cell from maintaining itself. It’s as if someone put glue on some of the pages in the recipe book. If enough pages get stuck, the cell can’t get the information necessary for its maintenance and it will slowly die.”

Dr. Kruck says, “We have progressed to the point where we now have a smoking gun (aluminium) lying beside a dead body (the Alzheimer’s victim). Although we still can’t prove conclusively that the bullet came from that gun, we now believe there is very strong circumstantial evidence that aluminium is the murder weapon.” Let’s look at some of the evidence against the metallic defendant:

Aluminium’s Toxic Litany. Several independent lines of investigation have clearly established that aluminium can be highly toxic to our nervous system:

Animal experiments show that injections of aluminium into the brains of cats (animals often used in such experiments because of their tissue’s close resemblance to the human variety) will produce memory loss and other behaviours similar to Alzheimer’s. And the damage to the cat’s brain cells is in the same parts of the brain as in human victims of Alzheimer’s. Experiments with rabbits show similar results.

People with kidney failure, can develop “dialysis dementia” – a condition resembling the symptoms displayed by Alzheimer’s victims – when aluminium from the water used in the dialysis treatment accumulates in their brains.

Natives of certain regions in Guam and Japan (where there are high levels of aluminium in the soil and water) suffer from an increased frequency of neurological diseases in which their brains develop aluminium-containing lesions similar to those in Alzheimer’s victims.

The excess aluminium in the brains of Alzheimer’s victims isn’t found throughout the organ. The aluminium build-up is in the exact same brain cells that are physically damaged by the disease.

The only way to make a 100 per cent certain diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is to examine the brain after death to confirm the presence of nerve fibre “plaques” and “tangles” in the brain cells. Although aluminium occurs naturally in the brain, in Alzheimer’s-diseased brains aluminium levels are elevated where these plaques and tangles are found.Dr. Kruck and his colleagues feel that, while they are still far from having all the answers, the mounting evidence against aluminium justifies some recommendation.

How the risks from aluminium cookware may be minimized?

If an aluminium vessel is to be used for cooking, make sure it’s anodized aluminium – but not an old anodized vessel where the protective layer might have worn off.

Never use a high flame when cooking in aluminium. Aluminium is a soft metal; therefore higher temperatures cause greater leaching. The risk is less when water-based food is cooked, in which the temperature does not rise above the maximum of 100 degree C, than if dry cooking like roasting is done, when the temperature rises higher.

As far as possible use a wooden spoon to stir food being cooked in aluminium vessels; the abrasive action of metal spoons or forks will get the aluminium off the vessel and into your food.

Salt also reacts with aluminium, so transfer cooked food into a stainless steel container before adding salt. (That goes for vinegar too).

Avoid boiling tea or coffee for long hours in aluminium kettles. American researchers have found 30 times the recommended WHO limits of aluminium in kettles in which water has been boiled for long periods.

Avoid scouring soiled aluminium vessels with an abrasive sponge. Instead, use a soft sponge and warm soapy water. It is best to discard very badly burnt vessels.

As a better option consider cast-iron sizzler pans. Made out of an iron-zinc alloy, these pans retain heat and, like non-stick pans, require very little oil. They can be used instead of non-stick pans to make anything from omelettes to dosas. Also available are iron pans, which are ideal for making all kinds of foods. (The iron you may ingest from these pans will probably be beneficial to you, considering those who are iron-deficient).

If you have a malfunctioning kidney, you need to be particularly careful about aluminium ingestion: the kidney is one of the body’s prime mechanisms for controlling and guarding against overload of any metal.

We ‘humans’ have got the life a billion years ago. There have been five mass extinctions in earth’s history. We are living through the sixth. And now we too are running at a pace to end it all. This time it will be our fault.

The new discoveries and inventions have made our lifestyle full of convenience. But our bodies require work. Just like the sedentary water starts smelling, the sedentary lifestyle has given rise to many chronic diseases like the heart problems, diabetes and hypertension.

Today, the health researchers are suggesting that most of the chronic diseases that have appeared in man’s life are due to STRESS. From where it has come. It is the bi-product of our so-called modern lifestyle.

We are standing at the edge of cliff. Immediate actions are required to bring back the healthy days. We must incorporate exercise, balanced diet, sound sleep, and the most importantly happy and positive thoughts to our lifestyle to get rid of all health problems.

I believe “The opposite of great truth is also true.”

Day and Night, Work and Rest, Art and Science… they all looks opposite but my viewpoint is they compliment each other.

The more you relax, the more you active. Life is a balance between what we can and what we cannot. Learn to live between effort and surrender.

Senior apartments, independent living communities and assisted living facilities are classified under homes for the elderly, where services may include room, board, supervision and assistance in daily living, such as housekeeping.

Overall, the occupancy rate for senior housing facilities has been consistently growing during the past five years. In the second quarter of 2015, the average occupancy rate for both independent living facilities and assisted living facilities averaged 89.0%, according to the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry. Occupancy rates showed improvement in 2016 compared with previous years, suggesting that the recovery will remain stable.

Senior apartments are residencies that are legally restricted to seniors aged 55 and older, not required to be licensed and often have income restrictions. They are similar in design to “family” complexes, except they usually have elevators, interior halls, more common area, and only one and two bedroom plans.

Senior apartments do not have central kitchen facilities and generally do not provide meals to residents, but may offer community rooms, social activities and other amenities.

The physical building of an Independent Living facility is quite different then residential assisted living home. The available shared space depends upon the community. Most Independent Living communities include smaller kitchens or offer community meals in the dining area. The cost of the facility reflects on the space and its designated use.

There are different types of Independent living facilities but the most common types for seniors are: senior apartments, Low-income housing. Senior apartments are apartment complexes that are restricted by age, usually 55 plus. Some senior apartments are converted private cottages or converted apartment complexes. Most senior complexes are assembled or re-rebuilt from existing structures; handrails and pull cords are often built in as an additional value for seniors. Some senior apartments provide community services such as recreational programs, transportation services, and meals in a shared dining room.

Residential assisted living homes are perfect for seniors that need help with (ADL) the everyday activities of daily living. Assisted living homes provide a better quality care for their residents; because the nurse to resident ratio is substantially lower then a institutionalized facility.

The monthly cost of senior care communities can range anywhere from $7,000 and up, depending on the level of care. The cost of residential assisted living homes, also depend on the level of care and can range anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000.

Few things are as annoying as catching a common cold or the flu virus. You have a busy life, and the last thing you need is to be down and out because you are ill. Fortunately, with a few safety precautions in place, you can put your best foot forward to avoid these conditions. While you may not be able to prevent them affecting your health 100%, you can side-step many occurrences if you act wisely.

Here are four quick tips to help you keep yourself cold-free…

1. Wash Your Hands Regularly. First, you will want to ensure you wash your hands frequently throughout the day. For sure after each time you use the washroom as well as preferably after each time you have been in contact with public spaces such as shopping malls, grocery stores, or other high-traffic areas.

You will have likely touched something which makes it all the more likely you will then contract on of these bugs. By washing your hands, you will keep yourself germ-free.

Make sure you wash with a quality soap and lather long enough to kill any bacteria.

2. Avoid Face Contact. It is also a must you avoid face contact. Meaning, hands off! Don’t touch your face unless necessary and only after you have washed your hands. Putting hands that have been in contact with public areas into your mouth, near your eyes, or near your nose will provide an excellent way to transfer germs into these areas. These areas are where bacteria love to grow and multiply. Thus they will inevitably cause sickness to set in if you are vulnerable.

3. Fruit And Vegetable Overload. One dietary change you can make to help avoid becoming ill is to ensure you are eating a maximum dose of fresh fruits and vegetables each and every day. These foods are chock full of antioxidants and will help to strengthen your immune system, so should you come into contact with different viruses or bacteria, you can fend them off.

Focus on brightly colored fresh fruits and vegetables as these will have your highest overall vitamin C content.

4. Eat More Garlic. Finally, concentrate on eating more garlic. Garlic has been proven to help strengthen the immune system and keep you feeling stronger, so it is less likely you will become run down when you have this vegetable in your menu.

Add garlic to any food you are cooking – as often as you possibly can. In addition to boosting your immune system, it can also help you improve heart health as well.

Get these tips in line, and you can be sure you will not be taken down easily by the common cold or flu virus this year.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.